Memories
by BecauseI'mBatman
Summary: Memories are powerful. They bring us laughter, joy, sadness, pain, and so many other countless emotions. Young Teddy Lupin doesn't have any memories of his parents. Yet. Luckily, his mother had a plan to help change this.
1. Prologue

**Memories**

**Disclaimer: I do not own… Stop. Reminding. Me!**

**Summary: Memories are powerful. They bring us laughter, joy, sadness, pain, and so many other countless emotions. Young Teddy Lupin doesn't have any memories of his parents. Yet. Luckily, his mother had a plan to help change this.**

**Prologue**

Tonks knew as she entered the Battle of Hogwarts, the chances of surviving were slim. She hoped that she'd fight and live, as she's done countless times in past battles. There was always this gut feeling nagging at her, whispering she would not make it through. Poor, dear baby Teddy. He'd have to grow up with a mother—and possibly without a father, too—and that thought broke her heart into tiny shards of broken pieces. So, she started to make a plan.

The thought of her own father's recent death pained her deeply. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to grow up without any parents. That situation might become exactly what her son has to go through after the battle is over, and it made Tonks' heart shatter and break. She didn't want to go; she didn't want to leave her son alone. But being an Order member, she had a duty here to fight. The Light side needed as much allies as they could get, and Tonks knew this. She simply just had to fight—not only for herself or for the future of her infant son, but for the countless number of people whose lives were lost by the hand of Voldemort or his followers. She had to avenge them, even thought she didn't know most of them. Someone had to do it.

But sweet, poor Teddy would be left without a mother. And if Tonks knew Remus—which she did very well, as she is his wife, after all—she knew he would not pass up the opportunity to offer his own services. Another nagging feeling bit into her, saying that Remus would not survive either. The death of her and her husband were inevitable, this much Tonks knew.

But she'd be damned if her little boy, her little Teddy Bear, would grow up completely without a memory of his parents.

Tonks grabbed a piece of parchment and began scribbling away. The letter was addressed to one Mr. Harry Potter, her baby's godfather, and the one she was absolutely certain she could trust to help her with her plan. Harry was the most important factor in the battle. He had to be there, had to be the one to defeat Voldemort. And just like Tonks' feeling that told her that her and Remus would not survive; she got the feeling that Harry definitely would. There was no worry that he would not be able to fulfill her plan.

After a few minutes of carefully wording her note, she sealed it with magic, a magic that would not deliver the letter until after she and Remus had passed away and after the final battle ended. Harry would receive the letter than, and the plan would unfold.

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><p>Harry lay in his four-poster bed in Gryffindor tower, completely and utterly wore out—physically, mentally, <em>and<em> emotionally. After finally defeating Voldemort once and for all, one would think Harry would be ecstatic. But he was not. No, instead, Harry was befuddled.

He had awoken an hour ago after some much needed sleep after defeating Voldemort. Next to him lay a letter in what looked like a woman's handwriting. He'd opened and read it, instantly realizing it was from the now late Tonks. The thought had brought tears to his eyes, and the memory flooding back to him of seeing both Tonks and Remus lying side by side on the floor of the Great Hall, dead.

The letter wasn't very cheery either.

He'd read it over and over again at least three hundred times, wondering just what he was supposed to do with this information. It had asked of one thing—Tonks' dying wish—and that was for Harry to share the contents left in the envelope the letter came in with Teddy as he got older. Inside the envelope were vials of memories, many of them, both from Tonks' and Remus' minds. They were good memories, happy memories, things that would show just the kind of people they were as children, teenagers, young adults, and finally as parents.

The only other thing Tonks had asked was to make sure Teddy knew that his parents may not be alive, but they loved him and always will. They did not leave him on purpose. But in the case that they did pass on, Tonks made sure that her only son would not grow up without knowing who his parents were and what they were like. _You're the only one I know who knows what it's like to grow up without parents, _the letter had read. Tonks was right, he was the only one. And he also knew what it was like to grow up without knowing what his parents were really like—to be lied about them, and never allowed to mention them. He knew, and he didn't want that same thing for his godson.

"I will," he spoke to no one in particular. "I'll share it with him. You can count on me, Tonks."

Suddenly, a ray of sunshine struck through the window, blinding him. It was in that moment he knew she'd heard him.

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think so far? Sound interesting? Too overdone? Remember, this is just the prologue! It will get better, I promise! This is my first multi-chapter story so bear with me! The next chapter will probably be longer, just so you know.**


	2. Ash

**Memories**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter... Is it because I'm Batman?**

**Chapter One: ****Ash**

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><p>Four year old Teddy Lupin was lonely—lonelier than he had ever been in his whole entire short life.<p>

He was at Uncle Harry's, spending time with his godfather. Gran insisted on it, making sure that he spent lots and lots of time with Uncle Harry. Uncle Harry loved having him over and even told him on more than one occasion how much he wished he could keep Teddy forever and never let him go. Teddy always giggled at that. "Forever's a long time!" he'd exclaim.

Forever was indeed a long time. Teddy knew this well. It took forever for holidays—especially Christmas!—to come, forever for his Magic Preschool to let out so he could go home to Gran, and it would be forever until he could see his parents again.

Teddy's parents, who he knew were named Nymphadora and Remus, were dead. They died when he was a baby in a big, scary war that Uncle Harry didn't like to talk about. He didn't know much of anything else about his parents, but he did know they had loved him very much and wished they could still be here. Both Gran and Uncle Harry would tell him this often, making sure he knew.

Uncle Harry would also remind him that his parents had died when he was a baby too. He knew what he was going through, Uncle Harry would say. He knows exactly what it's like. But Teddy was lucky because he had people to tell him about his parents; Uncle Harry had never had that. Teddy would just nod. Sure, it was great that he had people to talk to about them, but there was still this nothingness in him that he couldn't quite identify.

It made him lonely, something his godfather understood well. When Teddy mentioned this one time, Uncle Harry had responded, "When you start feeling really lonely, squirt, come talk to me. I'll help it go away. I promise."

So that's what Teddy found himself doing now: seeking out his godfather for help.

Uncle Harry had been in the kitchen for what felt like hours now, making the both of them something to eat. Most likely it was going to be sandwiches, like always. Uncle Harry never did make anything fancy.

While he was doing that, Teddy had been left to play with his toys in the living room. But for the duration of the time he'd been here, Teddy hadn't once picked up a toy to play with. He'd been too busy silently wallowing in loneliness.

"Unca Harry!" he wailed, unable to stand it any longer. The loneliness was far too much for the four year old to handle. He stood up and charged into the kitchen, making a beeline right for his godfather's legs and wrapping his tiny arms around them tightly.

Harry Potter grunted at the impact of a full-fledged four year old on his leg, and looked down at his godson. Teddy's eyes were shining with unshed tears, tears that were surely about to fall, and he looked pitiful; more pitiful than Harry had ever seen in his life. It tore at his heart strings, ripping them apart and he couldn't stand it. He leaned down and picked up the four year old, placing him on his hip.

"Hey, now," Harry said softly, wiping away the first tear to trail down Teddy's cheek. "What's all this?"

Teddy sniffled and buried his little head into Uncle Harry's shoulder. "I miss them!" he cried, and it was all he needed to say. Harry understood immediately.

Harry walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch, Teddy in his lap, crying his little heart out. He pet the rapid color-changing hair softly while rocking the four year old back and forth. The poor boy's appearance changed against his will, something it always did when his emotions where high. It used to be slightly freaky to Harry, but now he was just used to it.

"Hush, Teddy Bear," he mumbled to the small child. "Calm down."

Teddy, bless his little heart, tried to but with no avail. His body was shaking violently with the loneliness that desperately plagued him. Harry understood, and just held him. He was getting flashbacks to his own childhood, the many times he cried himself to sleep over the unfairness of it all that he had to live with his unloving aunt and uncle. He knew how hard it was to go through what Teddy was, but at least Teddy had people who loved him and people to emphasize with him. Harry never had that.

A little over ten minutes later, Teddy was sufficiently calmed down. Well, calmed down enough to talk, at least, and that was good enough for Harry.

"Hey, squirt," he said, gently pulling the boy off him enough so they could look at each other's faces. "Are you okay?"

Teddy nodded softly. "Yeah," he whispered, but his shaky voice said otherwise.

"I know what you're going through," Harry told him. "And I know it's hard."

"Really hard!" Teddy insisted, and Harry nodded.

"Really hard indeed," he agreed, placing Teddy on the floor and standing up. "And I think I have just the thing to cheer you up, squirt." He held out his hand for the four year old to take, and lead him to his bedroom.

Normally Teddy wasn't allowed in his godfather's room unless he had Harry's express permission, or it was nighttime and he was scared from a nightmare and needed his Uncle Harry's comfort. Today, since Harry was with him, it was okay. Harry had put up this rule just in case Teddy ever got the bright idea to play in his room and mess around with the magical artifacts he kept there, like the pensieve.

That specific artifact is exactly what Harry needed. He picked up Teddy and sat him on the bed while he went to the closet. The pensieve itself sat inside the closet for easy reach and Harry pulled it out to the middle of the floor. Teddy stared at it in awe as his godfather ducked into the closet and rummaged through it, searching for something.

He emerged a few moments later with a large box. The box had a lock on it, and Harry quickly did the combination. The lock clicked and opened.

Harry sat down next to Teddy, placing the box on his lap. "This, Teddy Bear, is a very important box."

"Why?"

The question made Harry smile a bit. The boy was ever a curious one, always asking the question of 'why' whenever possible. Harry was happy to oblige and answer.

"Because in this box is vials of memories."

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed together. "Memories?" he asked. "Of what?"

"I'm glad you asked that," he replied. He picked up a specific memory and held it up. "In these vials are not just any memories. They hold very special memories, from very special people. Any guesses as to whom these memories belonged to?"

Curiosity piqued, Teddy sat up on his knees and crawled towards Harry, looking determinedly at the vial as if he looked at it hard enough, the answer would pop out right before his eyes. Harry chuckled.

"They belonged to your parents, Teddy," he explained. "Both of them."

Whatever Teddy was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "Really?" he asked excitedly, bouncing up and down on the bed. "Really, really, really?" He didn't know much of anything of his parents' life and here was Uncle Harry, providing him with things about them? He was too excited.

"Really," his godfather answered, a smile plastered on his face. "Your mum had this feeling that she wasn't going to live after the war, and neither would your dad. She didn't like it, but she couldn't do anything about it. She wasn't even sure if her feeling meant anything. But, just in case, she and your father sat down and put the memories they felt like you should have into these vials. She put them in this box, wrote me a letter, and sent them both to me. And now seems like the perfect time to get them out."

He stood up and walked over to the pensieve, pouring the silver liquid in. "I think this'll make you feel better, squirt. This particular memory is just something that your mum did when she was little. I think it'll tell you just how caring she was." He held out his hand for Teddy to take, which he did and he instructed him on what to do to view the memory. "I'll be right behind you," He told him, and with that, Teddy plunged himself into the pensieve, Harry in tow.

Moments later, both Teddy and Harry were standing in the middle of a street in a very calm looking neighborhood. The houses up and down the streets looked fairly old, but elegant. Outside, the yards were freshly cut and clear. It was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. As far as the two could tell, there weren't any children outside playing.

Except for one.

A young girl of about seven with blonde hair and fair skin stood outside, playing in her front yard. She held a stick used for making bubbles and was running around with it, having the time of her life. On the steps of her house sat her mother, watching and smiling at the antics of her child.

Both Teddy and Harry watched the girl play, Teddy looking as if he wanted to join her. "You can't," Harry told him, which deflated Teddy immediately. "All of this here is just like one of those muggle films playing: you can watch it, but you aren't a part of it. Sorry, squirt."

He shrugged. "S'okay." He didn't really mind that much—he was in one of his mum's memories after all! What else mattered?

Suddenly, the blonde hair girl's hair wasn't blonde anymore. It changed to bubblegum pink like magic—which, the two boys both knew it was. Apparently, so did the girl and her mother.

"Nymphadora!" her mother, Andromeda, hissed.

"Don't call me that, Mum!" young Tonks asked.

Andromeda was apparently used to this response and chose to ignore it. "Don't do it in public, love, someone could see!"

Tonks shrugged and changed it back. "Better?"

Andromeda scowled. "Yes, but don't do it outside anymore, alright?"

"Fine," Tonks sighed, disappointed. She returned to her bubble stick and went back to playing. Andromeda rolled her eyes fondly at her.

Inside the house, a timer went off. "Oh!" Andromeda cried, turning back to the house. "That'll be the biscuits!" She rushed off to get them while Tonks opted to stay outside and continue playing.

"Why doesn't she want to be called Nym—Nym-fa-door?" Teddy asked his godfather, looking up at him with large and curious eyes.

Harry chuckled. "Nymphadora," he corrected. "And she doesn't like that name. She always preferred to be called 'Tonks', her surname."

"Oh. What's a surname?"

"Her last name. Like yours is Lupin, and mine is Potter, hers is Tonks."

"Oh. Why didn't she like her name?"

"I don't know, squirt. She just didn't."

"Oh." The answer must have been good enough for him, because he turned back to watch the memory.

Tonks now had wandered off under an ash tree, looking up at it curiously. Harry could almost see little wheels turning in her head. Sure enough, just as Harry had thought, she was climbing her way up it a few minutes later.

For as clumsy as Tonks was in her adult life, she was pretty graceful climbing up the tree. Much to Harry's surprise, she didn't even slip up once. In fact, it looked as if she'd done it before.

"That looks like fun!" Teddy cried. "Can I climb a tree when we get back?"

Harry shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"You'll hurt yourself. Maybe when you're older."

Teddy groaned. Lately, that had been the answer he'd always been getting. He tried making breakfast the other day for Gran and himself, but ended up making a mess. When Gran found him in the middle of a destroyed kitchen, she wasn't happy. He explained he just wanted to make her breakfast, but all she said was "You're too little for that now. Maybe when you're older."

He hated that answer, and now Uncle Harry was using it too!

He was about to tell Uncle Harry just what he thought about that answer, but he was cut off by a soft mewing and a startled "Oh!" from the tree above.

Both Harry and Teddy looked up. There sat Tonks on a branch, staring at another one across from her. The two followed her gaze and there sat a small black cat perched upon it, mewing softly.

"I want a cat!" Teddy cried as soon as he saw it.

Harry chuckled. "Maybe when you're older." Teddy just scowled in reply.

Above them, Tonks shifted on her high perch and began to make her way towards the cat. "Here, kitty," she called softly, so as not to scare the feline. "Poor thing, stuck up here so high up. I'll get you down."

As Tonks moved closer, the cat backed away, hissing slightly in her direction. Apparently, it wasn't a very social cat.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Tonks soothed. The cat was having none of it. As Tonks moved closer, it moved away. She huffed. "Stupid cat!" she muttered. "Can't you see I'm trying to help?"

Suddenly, a bright idea popped into her mind. Her face lit up with a smile, and next thing they knew, Tonks wasn't a blonde girl anymore. She completely transformed her face to resemble a cat. Her nose became small and pink with whiskers, and brown-orange fur covered her face.

Teddy's eyes widened as he watched his mum move closer to the cat, while looking like one herself. The cat seemed to accept Tonks' appearance and truly thought it was another feline and definitely not the girl she had been a few moments ago.

Hesitantly, the cat-girl that was Tonks reached for the animal and cradled it close to her chest. "Gotcha!" she whispered triumphantly. The feline in her arms didn't seem to notice that its captor just spoke English, a human language, while looking like a cat. It purred softly in Tonks' arms.

Swiftly, but carefully, Tonks made her way down onto the ground, the cat still in her arms. "Mum!" she called and ran towards her house.

Andromeda was walking onto the back steps as her daughter's voice called out. "What is it, de—Nymphadora!" she cried when she saw her daughter was no longer a girl, but part cat. "What in the world? Change back!"

Tonks didn't even seem to notice she was still wearing the cat look. Quickly, she changed back into a fair skinned, blonde little girl. "Look, Mum!" she cried excitedly, gesturing to the cat in her arms. "Look, look, look!"

"Yes, dear, I see. Where'd you find it?"

"In the tree!"

"Yes, of cour—" Her mother started, but stopped herself when she realized what Tonks had said. "In the tree? What in the world were you doing in a tree?"

"Nevermind, Mum! Can we keep her?"

"Oh, I don't know, honey," Andromeda started, but Tonks cut her off.

"Please, Mum? I'll take care of it and look after it and everything! It doesn't have a home, Mum, _please_ can I keep it?" She looked up at her mother with large and pleading eyes, batting her eyelashes for good measure. "Please?"

Andromeda sighed as she looked at the feline. It was purring softly in Tonks' arms, looking quite content. And it indeed did not have a collar on it. And going by the dirt and grime on the poor thing, it definitely looked like a stray. "We'll post 'Found' papers around the neighborhood. If no one claims her, then and only then you may keep her."

"Yes!" Tonks yelled triumphantly, jumping up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She'd have hugged her mum if her arms weren't full of cat.

"You're welcome. Come now, let's get you both inside. What are you going to name her?"

Tonks answered, "Hmm… Ash! I'll name her Ash!" just before the door closed behind her.

Harry grinned down and Teddy and tugged his elbow. Next thing Teddy knew, the memory was swirling around him and in the next moment he was back in his godfather's room.

He was disoriented for a moment, but when he came back to his senses, he jumped into his Uncle Harry's arms. "Unca Harry!" He cried. "Thank you!"

Harry just chuckled and snuggled his godson to his chest. "No problem, squirt. Do you feel better now? Not so lonely?"

Teddy nodded. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Hey, now, remember something for me, okay, squirt? We can go through any memories that you'd like, whenever you want to. Just tell me when, okay?"

Teddy nodded again. He sighed contently against his godfather's chest. The hole he had in his heart where his parents should be was starting to feel better. It felt like it was getting smaller, and in its place was a warm, happy feeling, kind of like a miniature sun filling his heart.

And Teddy felt happy. Happier than he'd been in a long time.

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><p><strong>AN: So...? Whatcha think? **

**If you like this, please take the time to read my other stories? (: I would be ever so grateful! :D **

**Also, I have quite a few ideas for future chapters (about 5 of them so far...), but I have no idea when I'll write it! I'll try to get an update out soon! No promises, though. (:**


	3. Frights in the Night

**Memories**

**Disclaimer: I might be Batman, but I'm still not allowed ownership of Harry Potter. D: It's really rather disappointing.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I've tried to get myself to work on this chapter from the day I updated the first chapter, but alas… writer's block came in. And with the holidays and all… Well. You know how it goes. So, with that being said, I apologize in advance for crap writing, mistakes, etc.! I haven't proofread anything so... yeah.**

****Chapter Two**: **Frights in the Night****

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><p>It had been about three weeks since Teddy last spent time with his godfather. Harry had been busy lately with life; between Auror training and his girlfriend Ginny, he hadn't had much time to babysit. But Teddy insisted upon spending time with him soon, as he was starting to go through Godfather-withdrawals. Harry agreed and finally cleared a day for just him and Teddy to do whatever they wanted.<p>

Teddy, the ever energetic four year old that he is, couldn't wait to spend the day with Harry. He planned plenty of different things to do with his godfather.

The first thing on his agenda was to play outside. As it was fall, Teddy loved to play in the multi-colored leaves that scattered the ground. It was his favorite season! Uncle Harry needed to get some yard work done anyway, he said, so they can play and work at the same time. Teddy thought it was the best idea ever and he and his godfather spent at least two and half hours just playing in the leaves.

Needless to say, there wasn't much yard work being done. "Oh, well," Harry had said when he realized they had been playing far too long with not enough work. "I'll just have to do it another day," he said, and attacked his godson with tickles.

The next thing on Teddy's master plan was to play hide and seek. His godfather insisted they eat lunch first; much to the four year old's dismay. Who cared about eating when there could be playing? But when Harry announced they were going to have his favorite—peanut butter and jelly with a side of macaroni and cheese—Teddy suddenly didn't feel as opposed to it anymore.

After lunch, Harry was subjected to the game of hide and seek his godson longed for. Teddy, it seemed, was one of the best hide and seek players Harry has ever known. Unfortunately, he had the unfair advantage that he could change his appearance at will and blend into his surroundings just as well as a chameleon. If Teddy didn't giggle each time Harry got close to him, he feared that he'd have never found the little squirt.

They spent hours just playing and spending time with one another—precious bonding time they both needed. Nighttime fell upon them before either of them realized how late it had become.

Teddy, of course, absolutely refused to go to bed. "Nooo!" he whined as Harry announced it was bedtime. "No bed! I wanna stay up with you, Unca Harry!"

Harry sighed. He was sorely tempted to just forget it and let Teddy stay up, but knowing what the boy was like on a low amount of sleep quickly pushed that thought from his mind. Teddy's a right terror without much sleep, and Harry was not prepared to fight that battle any time soon. "C'mon, squirt," he murmured and picked the squirming lad up into his arms. "Let's go to sleep."

"Unca Harry!" Teddy protested, glaring at his godfather. "No!"

"Yes," he countered, getting a better grip on the wriggling form in his arms, "and that's the end of it." They reached Teddy's room, and Harry plopped him onto the bed.

Teddy had other plans. He scrambled off the bed and clutched onto Harry's leg. "I'll be nice and quiet, I promise! Just let me stay up!"

Hardening his heart to Teddy's wide and innocent puppy eyes, Harry picked him up, placed him back onto the bed, and magically transformed his godson's clothes into pajamas. On a normal occasion, he'd have done it the muggle way, but Harry had no intentions of attempting to change a struggling four year old. "I'm sorry, squirt," he apologized, tapping Teddy's protruding lower lip. "I know you want to stay up, but both of us need our sleep. We'll play more tomorrow."

"But—!"

"Hush," Harry interrupted in a soothing tone as he sat on the edge of Teddy's bed. He kissed the top of the child's head. "Rest for me now, squirt, alright?"

"I wanna stay up!"

"I know."

"Can I then?"

"No."

"Unca Harry!"

Even as Teddy continued to protest, Harry could see his eyelids drooping lower and lower as time went on. "Quiet, now," he said as he wrapped the child in a blanket, gently laid his head down on the pillow, and rubbed his back in a calming matter in hopes of getting his stubborn godson to settle down.

Several minutes later, to Harry's immense relief, Teddy was out like a light. He swiftly made his exit, quiet as a mouse.

Not too long after Teddy fell asleep, he burrowed himself comfortably in his own bed and found himself roaming through Dream-Land.

* * *

><p>Red.<p>

That's all Harry could see for miles: long strands of red blowing around like things caught in the wind. The first thing he thought of when faced with the color red was blood. Perhaps it was the effects of the horrors he's been through in his life, or perhaps something else, but that's always what Harry first thought of when faced with something red.

Well, almost.

Ginny's red hair did not remind him of blood. It reminded him a sweet, red rose in field of daisies.

That's almost the feeling he got now as he looked upon the horizon of total redness. And to finish it off, there was a drift in the wind that felt peaceful and—dare he say it—_pretty. _

Suddenly, the air shifted. Faintly, Harry heard something in the distance.

_What is that? _he thought to himself as he took a step towards the sound.

The noise rose louder and clearer. He could almost make it out…

Leaning in its general direction, Harry listened hard.

Screaming.

Someone was screaming.

The sound was frightful and sort of… childlike?

Wait, what?

Childlike?

_Teddy!_

Harry took off in a run towards the sound of the racket, but the word full of red abruptly dissolved into a world of darkness.

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><p>A jolt of pain hit his hip as Harry's eyes flew open. Close under his face was the carpet of his bedroom and he blinked in confusion.<p>

_The carpet? But wasn't I just—?_

A sudden scream ripped through the air, and Harry quickly jumped into the air.

_Teddy! _he remembered quickly and took off in the direction of his godson's bedroom.

He burst inside, wand at the ready—though, he wasn't sure when he had picked it up off his bedside table where it was usually kept. The blanket Teddy had been wrapped up in sat on the floor in a heap, and Teddy himself lay bucking and squirming in his sleep atop the bed.

"Teddy?" Harry questioned softly as he carefully approached the small bed, "wake up." Gently, he shook the sweating child. "Teddy Bear, wake up!"

Teddy's eyes popped open.

A second later, he flung himself onto his godfather, crying, "Unca Harry!"

"Hush, now," Harry murmured, gently rubbing his back calmly. "I'm here. It's alright, Teddy Bear, relax."

Harry held the crying and shuddering lad for nearly fifteen minutes, but nothing could calm him down. He sang. He hummed. He murmured assurances—'_It's not real'_, or '_It can't hurt you'_, or '_I'm here, Teddy Bear, you're okay_'—but nothing helped. Nothing, it seemed, would help Harry in this situation. Fifteen minutes turned into twenty, which turned into thirty-five, when Harry was staring to get desperate.

"Why don't you tell me about it, squirt? Will that help, you think?" he suggested.

Teddy firmly held onto his godfather and shook his head into the chest that Harry believed to become forever damp from all these tears. Harry sighed softly to himself, too low for Teddy to hear, and thought hard.

What do people do to calm down four year olds? Harry had never been comforted after a nightmare as a child growing up with the Dursley's. He'd had plenty nightmares at Hogwarts, but never sought out comfort there. After all, he wasn't some sort of child needing a cuddle.

But sometimes throughout his childhood it might have been a good idea.

Not that he'd ever ask Aunt Petunia that. Or Uncle Vernon, for that matter. He started to shudder just thinking about it.

This was the sort of thing parents took care of, and Harry was most definitely not a parent—

Oh, of course! _Parents!_

Gently, Harry lifted Teddy into his arms and carried him to his bedroom. Teddy didn't mind so much, as long as he stayed tightly planted in his godfather's arms. Harry nonverbally summoned the box of memories and pensieve as he positioned himself and Teddy onto his bed.

"Hush, now," Harry repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. "Do you want to see a memory, squirt?"

He felt a furious nod into his chest, and he took it as a yes.

_Now, which memory?_

He briefly looked at the labels. He didn't know which to show Teddy, but as he chose one at random, he thought it would fit perfectly for his situation and poured it in the pensieve.

* * *

><p>Soon they both found themselves in Tonks' memory once again.<p>

The two landed in a small, bubble gum pink room. A little girl, whom they knew to be Tonks, as it was her memory, was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

For the moment.

She suddenly shot up, eyes wide with fear, and panting. "Mummy!" she screamed.

Teddy glanced at Tonks, who seemed to be about five in this memory, and then back at Harry. "Did she have a nigh'mare?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, squirt, just like someone else I know."

His godson only sniffled in response and rested his head on his godfather's shoulder.

Memory Andromeda flew into the room and straight for her child's bedside. Noting the fresh tears streaming down her daughter's face, she quickly pulled the little girl into her lap. "Oh, Dora," she murmured. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Tonks nodded into her mother's chest. "Yeah! And it was really scary, too!"

Andromeda nodded. "I'm sure. Those dreams sure can be scary, can't they?"

"Yeah!" came the tear-filled reply.

"Shh, shh," she murmured soothingly. "I know."

Tonks unwrapped herself from her mum for a minute to look at her curiously. "How do _you_ know? You don't ever get scared!"

Andromeda chuckled. "Oh, love, of course I do. Everyone gets scared sometimes and everyone has nightmares."

"Really?" Tonks' eyes widened in awe at the thought. "Even you?"

"Even me," she confirmed, kissing Tonks' forehead. "And I'll let you in on a little secret," she leaned close to her daughter's ear and whispered quietly, but it was still loud enough for Harry and Teddy to hear, "Those frights in the night aren't real, love, and never will be."

"But they seem so real, Mummy."

"I know they do, but a bad dream is nothing more than that—a bad dream. It isn't real and nothing you saw from it can hurt you. When you have a nightmare the best thing to do is to just," she reached for her daughter's face, gathered a runaway tear onto her forefinger and flicked it away with her thumb, "toss it away."

Tonks sniffled. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. All gone."

She hugged her mother tightly across the waist. "Oh, Mummy, you're so smart!"

She chuckled again. "Why, thank you, Dora."

* * *

><p>The memory around them swirled away and they found themselves back in Harry's room. <em>Ah, a short memory then<em>, Harry thought._ Straight to the point._

Harry sat himself on the bed, pulling Teddy onto his lap. A few stray tears still ran down his face but for the most part Teddy was calmed down. "Did that help? Seeing that memory?"

Teddy nodded. "Thanks, Unca Harry," he sniffed and laid his head upon Harry's chest. "Unca Harry? Have you had nigh'mares?"

His godfather nodded. "Loads of times." Well… sometimes dark images had been implanted in his mind by Voldemort, and other times he had been unknowingly looking into Voldemort's mind… But why be technical with a four year old? Especially about _that_ subject.

"Were they bad?"

_You could say that,_ he thought. "Yeah, squirt. All nightmares are bad."

"Oh."

"Like your Gran said, though, all nightmares are just bad dreams. They aren't real."

Teddy nodded. "I know… but they seem like it!"

"They do," he agreed. "But just remember that even in the darkest of dreams nothing can hurt you. And when you wake up, you take that dream, and tell it 'I'm not afraid of you! Go away!' and toss it." He picked up a tear off Teddy's cheek and followed Andromeda's example, flicking it away. "See? Gone."

The corners of Teddy's mouth quirked up. "Just like Gran did for Mummy!"

"Just like that." He gently brushed another tear off his godson's cheek, grabbed his hand, and placed it on his finger. "Go on. Say 'I'm not afraid of you! Go away!' and toss it."

Sniffling, Teddy repeated, "I'm not afraid! Go 'way!" and flicked the tear off his forefinger. He beamed up at Harry. "I did it! I tossed it away!"

"See? Wasn't that easy?"

"Yeah!" He cried excitedly. His little body lightened as a burden lifted off his shoulders. The bad dream was gone! No more!

Soon enough, his eyelids began to droop slowly, showing Harry just how tired the squirt was. Now, at least, he could sleep peacefully.

"Now it can't hurt you anymore. All gone." He rubbed Teddy's back and murmured into his ear, "And now it's time for all Teddy Bears to sleep."

"Do I hafta?" The soft protest came, though it carried no weight. Teddy was already drifting back into dream land.

"Sleep," he ordered softly. Within moments, Harry found himself with a four year old Teddy Bear sleeping softly upon his chest.

Well. At least he knew that Teddy would have no more bad dreams tonight. Not with Tonks' memory fresh in his mind, and Harry's presence there to fight them off.

There shall be no more frights this night in Harry's house.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whew! Finally! It's a relief to finally finish this chapter! Damn that writer's block! **

**Question for any who reads this: should the next chapter have another one of Tonks' memories or shall we give Remus a turn? Please let me know!**

**Also, I might start a parody series of one-shots about Batman and Superman soon! I have it planned and on my to-do list but when I'll get to it is unknown. Another chapter sometime! Hopefully soon, but I make no promises!**


	4. Holidays

**Memories**

**Disclaimer: Dear Santa, for Christmas I would like to own Harry Potter. What! That's not possible? B-b-but you're Santa! You've betrayed me! D: You should be ashamed of yourself, sir! *turns back on you and walks away in a huff***

**Uh.. Anyway. Don't own. (Thanks, **_**Santa.**_**)**

**Author's Note: Just so know, I'm American, so I'm calling Santa by that—Santa. I don't know what you guys call him in other countries (Father Christmas, St. Nick, etc.) but I'm sticking to Santa. :D …For the three times I mention him…**

**Chapter Three: Holidays**

* * *

><p>Teddy loved the holidays.<p>

Who doesn't love cookies, presents, and Santa? Unless you were the Grinch, like that one green fellow in the book Uncle Harry read to him a couple of days ago.

The lights people often hung around their houses and the decorated Christmas trees were also a favorite of the four year old around this time of year. He loved to put ornaments on the tree, something he did at his house with Gran and then again with Uncle Harry.

Gran and he always baked special Christmas treats to take to the Weasley's every year. The Weasley's held a Christmas party every year that they were always invited to. Teddy loved going there; loved being surrounded by all the Weasley's, Gran, and Uncle Harry. It was almost as if his family was complete.

Except it wasn't.

The biggest downer of the holidays was the fact that Teddy had no real family besides Gran and Uncle Harry. The Weasley's aren't even his family; just people who were like family to Uncle Harry.

Despite all the joy Christmas was supposed to bring, nothing could fill the hole in his heart where his family should be—two specific people in particular: his mum and dad.

The four year old couldn't help but be sad when he thought about his dead parents. They should be here, he kept telling himself, and they should be here to share the holidays with him.

But they weren't and never would be.

It was that thought that really depressed Teddy in the midst of the Weasley's annual Christmas party. So far, he had been doing well. He stuck close to his godfather, as he had been prone to do lately, but still mingled with all the guests. He'd been having so much fun with everyone.

Now, though, he sat in an arm chair of the living room, alone.

Everyone else was doing their own thing: George entertaining everyone with his jokes; Gran, Molly, and Arthur talking together, probably talking about grown up things Teddy didn't care about; Ron and Hermione sucking each other's faces off under some green thing in the door way; Charlie and Percy sending looks at them and smirking; Bill and Fleur playing with their two year old daughter, Victoire; and Ginny and Uncle Harry talking quietly to themselves on the love seat.

Uncle Harry spent lots of time with Ginny lately. They acted kind of like Ron and Hermione sometimes, all googly eyed and lovey dovey. But they never took each other's faces off like Ron and Hermione did—or, they didn't do it in front of Teddy at least.

No one seemed to notice that Teddy was by himself. Nobody seemed to care.

_Well, if they don't care, why stay?_ Teddy asked himself sadly. Why stay somewhere no one wanted him? He could go have a better time somewhere on his own!

With that thought, the four year old quietly slipped off his chair and out the back door. _If _anyone was to notice him, he'd be long gone.

* * *

><p>Harry never was one for the holidays. He knew what they were about and what they should be like, but he never had a real holiday until he was eleven and staying at Hogwarts. Even then it wasn't exactly a real holiday, but it was the best he'd ever had.<p>

Now that Voldemort was gone and nearly all his Death Eater minions had been captured and imprisoned in Azkaban, the holidays were getting better and better when surrounded by the Weasley's. They were the only real family he had now. They weren't really his family, not legally, but he belonged with them.

And if his relationship with his girlfriend Ginny was anything to go by, he'd soon enough be in the family for real—by marriage.

The technical terms didn't matter to him though—even if he didn't marry Ginny, the Weasley's would always be his unofficial adopted family.

"Harry?"

Ginny's voice broke through Harry's train of thought, and he blinked at her. "Hmm?"

"What has you so distracted?"

"What? Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

Ginny gave him a wry grin. "I noticed, love. What's on your mind?"

He shrugged. "It's the holidays."

"Ah," Ginny nodded, "of course. I should have known. You get this way around the holidays."

"I can't help it," Harry replied. "I just feel so… empty around this time. It's always been this way since I was young. It's gotten better being surrounded by everyone who loves me, my family. But the emptiness is still there."

Ginny nodded, leaning closer to him and kissing him on the cheek. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you and a certain four year old are having the same feelings tonight. And neither of you know what to do about it."

"Teddy?" Harry asked, surprised for a moment, but then it hit him. _Of course,_ he thought. How could he forget? Teddy had been so happy and full of Christmas passion that he didn't think it was possible for him to be depressed by the fact his parents weren't here.

But how naïve could a godfather get? Of course he was going to remember that the two people he really wants here aren't physically with him. In fact, Harry had even prepared himself for the possibility this would happen. But he got caught up in the celebration that he didn't even think to be watching Teddy for signs of distress.

_Stupid, _he berated himself. What kind of godfather is he?

"Where is he?" Harry asked, looking around wildly for any sign of the four year old.

Ginny pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "In a chair by himself. He's been there for about ten minutes now, looking like a puppy that's just been kicked. I thought you noticed, but obviously you didn't."

Harry looked where she was pointing, but only saw an empty chair. "He's not there."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise and she spun around in her seat. "Where did he go? He was just there a moment ago!" she asked shrilly, worry creeping into her voice.

"Relax, Gin," Harry soothed, reaching out and squeezing her knee. "He's probably just in the kitchen."

"No child who looked that sad would just go into the kitchen, Harry," Ginny disagreed. "I don't think he's in the house anymore."

Harry's brows furrowed. "What makes you think that?"

"_Because,_ Harry! I know. Call it woman's intuition or whatever you want, but I just know."

Harry nodded. "I'll check the kitchen. He can't have gotten far."

With that, Harry left the room in search of a certain emotionally hurt four year old. He checked the kitchen first, ducking his head in and calling a soft, "Teddy?" to no answer. He swept the room but found no sign on him. Thinking he might have moved over towards his grandmother for comfort, but found her Teddy-less.

"Andromeda," he called and walked over to her. Her conversation with Molly and Arthur took a pause, and all three of them looked up at Harry with curiosity.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Have you seen Teddy?"

"Teddy?" she repeated, brows furrowing. "I thought he was playing with everyone else."

"So did I, but Ginny brought it to my attention that he had been alone for some time and now I can't find him."

"Alone?" Molly repeated. "As in by himself? At a holiday party?"

Harry nodded.

"Oh no," she and Andromeda groaned together. Molly went on, "That poor boy shouldn't be left alone. Not at this age when his emotions are so high and he can become so lonely."

"He'll start to get thinking and then become sad," Arthur realized what Molly was getting at. "And then he'll become even more depressed because he's enduring this alone—"

"—And then gives us the slip when we're not looking—" Molly cut him off, reminded Harry of how Fred and George used to be.

"—To see if anyone cares enough to find him," Harry finished. "Of course."

"We have to find him," Andromeda said, her voice laced with worry for her grandson. "Who knows how long he's been gone? He could be frozen over by now."

"It hasn't been that long, I'm sure," Molly assured her.

"Harry," Arthur said, "You're probably the only one who knows what he's feeling right now. If you were Teddy and feeling extremely lonely, where would you go?"

Harry pursed his lips, thinking. If he were four years old and missing his parents at the burrow, where would he go?

Well, Teddy always did share his like for flying. He once shared how he felt free up in the air, much like how Harry feels.

Maybe—? But it was too easy…

"Your old broom shed still has the old brooms in it, doesn't it?" Harry asked both Weasley parents. They both nodded in reply.

_Of course. _"I'll be back."

With that short message, he was off into the snowy night, running straight for the broom shed. He got there in a matter of minutes, longer than it would probably take him on a regular and less snow-filled night.

He opened the door, expecting to see a pile of brooms with one missing, but he did not expect to see the one he was looking for huddled up next to them.

Well, at least it made his search easier.

"Teddy bear," Harry greeted softly, crouching down to the boy's level. "There you are."

Teddy didn't respond, only sniffled. Tell tale tears were rolling down his cheeks. "Oh, squirt," Harry said, holding his arms out invitingly, "Come here."

Teddy didn't need to be told twice.

"I-I was f-feeling so s-s-sad! An-and-and I didn't think anybody w-w-would care if I l-left!" he stuttered as he flung himself into his godfather's strong arms. Harry just gathered him close, hugging him tightly, letting his poor heart beat go back to its regular rate.

"I know," Harry soothed. "Let's get you inside and then we'll talk, alright?"

"Am I in trouble?" he ventured softly. Teddy was a good boy and rarely got into to trouble. Being in trouble was a rare concept to him, and he didn't like it.

Luckily, though, Harry shook his head. "No, squirt. It's okay and you aren't in any trouble."

His godson sighed in relief, laying his head on Harry's shoulder as he was carried back into the burrow. As they entered, Andromeda made to leave her spot across the room and give her grandson the hug he so richly needed, but Harry shook his head at her. "Give us a few," he mouthed and left to go upstairs without another word.

Harry walked all the way up to Ron's old room, the attic, a place where he knew they could talk in complete privacy. Besides, he felt a little awkward using any other Weasley's room. At least he's slept in this room before.

He sat on Ron's old bed, resting his back against the headboard, and pulled Teddy to sit on his lap. Tears were still running down his face, but he was sniffling less and less.

"It's hard, isn't it? The holidays."

Teddy nodded.

"It's hard because they aren't here with you and you're completely alone. Am I right?"

Eyes wide, Teddy nodded again. Harry could tell he was hitting it right on the dot. He should; after all, he's gone through this too.

"But here's the thing, Teddy bear: you aren't alone. You've got Gran, the Weasley's, and especially me. You've got to remember I went through this too. I know exactly what you feel like."

Teddy sniffed. "But it's not the same! You have all the W-Weasley's! I don't!"

"What do you mean, you don't? They love you just as much as they love me."

"But you're their family! I'm not!"

Harry shook his head. "No, squirt, I'm not."

"Y-you're not?" Teddy asked in shock, eyes widened even more. "B-b-but… yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not. Not technically. I'm not related to them by blood or even marriage."

"B-b-but—they love you."

"They do," Harry agreed, nodding.

"And that makes you family."

"Does it?"

Teddy's brow furrowed. "It should! You always tell me love is the best thing you can give somebody and that's what families give each other!"

"Indeed. And the Weasley's love me, don't they?"

"Yeah," Teddy replied hesitantly, not knowing where his godfather was going with this.

"So does that make them my family?"

"Yeah!"

"Ah, but Teddy," he leaned in close to Teddy's ear and whispered, "they love you as well."

If it was possible, Teddy's eyes widened even more—so much Harry feared they would pop right out of his head—and his jaw dropped, as if this piece of information was something new to him.

"They do?"

"Of course they do. They've loved you ever since they met you. See, the Weasley's are a loving kind of lot. They loved both your parents, and treated them like family too. So why would you be left out?"

"But.. we're not related."

"I'm not related to them either."

And, just like that, it was as if a light bulb went off over Teddy's head. All of a sudden, he understood. "So… they really are my family?"

"Of course. Just like I'm your family and your Gran is your family."

"Oh," was all Teddy could say.

"So you see, squirt, you aren't alone. I know your parents aren't here, but you still have family. Besides," Harry said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a familiar type of vial, "your parents might not be here in this room, but we can always see them."

As Harry hoped, Teddy's eyes lit up when he saw the vial containing one of his parent's memories. Enlarging the Pensieve he had shrunken to fit in his pocket earlier that day, Harry poured the contents into the bowl.

* * *

><p>This time Harry deliberately chose one of Remus' memories. They've watch two of Tonks' so far; it was time for one of Remus'. He chose a childhood memory of Remus, one before he was bitten by Greyback. At four years old, Teddy didn't know about his dad's werewolf status yet. Both Andromeda and Harry decided to wait until he was older to tell him that.<p>

It wasn't that they thought he would despise his dad for what he was; quite the contrary—they suspected he'd think it was absolutely brilliant, but considering he was only four years old it just wasn't time.

In this memory, the two found themselves in a very small house. In the house was a family of three sitting in front of a Christmas tree that took up most of the space of the living area of their home. There wasn't much under the tree, but it was enough for the child that looked about three years old, whose eyes were brighter than the stars on a dark night.

"Is that Daddy?" Teddy asked softly in Harry's arms, head upon his shoulder. He almost looked as if he wanted to put his thumb in his mouth, a habit that had been very hard to break him out of but still doable with loads of effort.

Harry nodded. "Yes, that's your father."

"He's so… tiny."

Squinting at the memory version of Remus, Harry did have to admit he looked a bit small for his age. Or smaller than Teddy was at that age, at least. "Yeah, I reckon he is."

"Was he always small?"

"No, he was an average size."

"What's that?"

"Average?" Harry asked, to which Teddy nodded. "It means 'normal'."

They watched as the memory played out a scene of Christmas cheer between a small family. Remus, being the child, received more gifts than his two parents, but he didn't receive much. He didn't seem to mind; in fact, Remus seemed pretty content just to be there with his parents.

Neither of Remus' parents talked, they only watched as their only son opened up his gifts gleefully.

Before either Teddy or Harry realized what happened, the memory evaporated around them and they were spit back out into reality.

* * *

><p>"That's it?" Teddy cried, put out. "I want to see more!"<p>

Harry agreed; why give a memory that only lasted about thirty seconds? He might as well have just left him a picture. But, seeing as Remus had only been three at the time, it was a wonder he could remember as much as he did.

Besides, the memory wasn't the important thing he wanted to show Teddy today. The important thing he wanted Teddy to get out of this was that his parents may be gone, but he still had family who loved him. He wanted him to do like Remus did in his memory: forget all the technicalities and have a good holiday. (Even though their technicalities were very different from each other.)

"Unca Harry!" Teddy exclaimed angrily. "I want more!"

"I know, squirt, but it's the only one I brought." Teddy opened his mouth to say something, but Harry cut over him, "I know it was short, but listen. Did you see how happy you dad was there? With his mum and dad? He had a small family and was having the time of his life." Harry tapped Teddy's nose fondly. "And you have your own big family waiting for you downstairs. Do what your dad did and just have fun. Okay?"

Teddy sniffed a small grin. "Yeah. Okay!"

"Go on, squirt," Harry said, following his godson out of the room and down the steps.

And maybe, just maybe, this holiday would end with both a content Teddy and a content Harry.

Because, after all, they were both surrounded by family.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Merry Christmas! The ending was rushed (as you've probably been able to tell) because I really wanted to finish this before I ended up procrastinating on it for a week. I know this has very little Remus and very little memory scene, but this chapter wasn't really about the memory. Next chapter will hopefully be about Remus and have a better memory in it! If the next chapter is not one of Remus' memories, the one after that will be! I want to make sure I get both parents in, after all! :D**


	5. No Bath!

**Memories**

**Chapter Four: No Bath!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. We get the drill by now.**

**Teddy doesn't like to bathe… Harry doesn't like having to wrestle a reluctant four year old into the tub… But this particular bath time leaves them both in for a surprise. **

**A/N: Uh. Hope you don't sincerely hate me for taking so long. I had writer's block. D:**

* * *

><p>"Teddy!" Harry called for what felt like the twenty-fifth time in the past fifteen minutes. "Where are you?"<p>

The day had been going well up until this point. The two had played, ate lunch, visited, played some more, saw Ginny, played even more, ate dinner, and then played _some more_.

But the day didn't last forever and it was growing late. After the eventful day they had, Harry knew he couldn't let Teddy go without having a bath. Today had been going so smoothly he didn't think twice about announcing bath time.

He should have remembered that was the one thing Teddy hated the most.

He'd been hiding ever since.

"Teddy?" Harry asked again, opening the hall closet's door and checking inside. As far as Harry could see there was nothing out of the ordinary there. This wasn't so reliable since his metamorphmagus-godson was practically a human chameleon, though.

Harry groaned to himself, wishing he had his wand. A simple point-me spell would do wonders for his case. In the midst of all their playing, though, Teddy had gotten a hold of it and hid it someplace. _It's a scaveng'r hunt, Unca Harry, _he had told his godfather. _You have to find it! _

He should have never left it unattended with a four year old.

"Teddy, _please_ come out!" Great. Now he was desperate.

There was no response.

"Pretty please?" Harry tried now.

Nothing.

He tried bribery. "I'll give you some sweets tomorrow morning after breakfast!" _As soon as I buy some. _

Teddy was still nowhere to be found.

Resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall in frustration, Harry thought hard. _If I were four years old and avoiding a bath, where would I hide?_

_Well, considering the fact I'd be able to shift my appearance to look like anything I want, I could hide anywhere, _he assessed. _But what would be the less obvious place?_

A little voice in the back of his head said, _The place where I was avoiding._

Of course. Teddy might be young, but he was extremely intelligent. If you wanted to avoid some one, why not hide in plain sight? With that thought in his mind, Harry set off into the loo and pulled back the shower curtain.

There sat Teddy on the tub floor, knees drawn up to his chest. He was so shocked from being found that he didn't even think of trying to shift his appearance to look like his surroundings. Eyes wide, he looked at his godfather in disbelief. How does Harry _do_ that?

"There you are," Harry sighed in relief.

"Nuh-uh," Teddy disagreed.

"No? You're not here?"

He shook his head in response.

"Really?" Harry asked, leaning his back against the wall next to the tub and looking at Teddy. "Because you sure look like you're here."

"M'not."

"Are you sure?"

A head nod this time.

"I don't know about that, Teddy. You look here to me."

"Your eyes are jus' playin' tricks."

"Tricks, huh? But I can hear you speaking, and that has nothing to do with my bad eyes."

Harry's logic seemed to stump the four year old. Before he could think of a response, his godfather went on, "So since you're here and already in the tub, why don't we just get this over with?"

True to form, Teddy pouted. "No bath!"

"I know." _I don't want to give you one. _"But it's bath time."

"No!"

"Teddy."

"P'ease?" Coupled with his plea, Teddy put on his best 'puppy-dog eyes'—the look that almost never failed to crumble Harry like a soft cookie in Teddy's palm.

Almost never.

Harry gave him a grin for trying, but shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm not letting that work on me this time. You need a bath, squirt, and I promise it'll be quick."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned the faucet and water started to pour out. He reached for Teddy and pulled him out of the tub. Teddy began to wriggle and whine, but Harry ignored him. He'd be more surprised if Teddy didn't put up a fight; after all, the kid hated being clean.

He reached for Teddy's shirt to start undressing him, but all of a sudden a blue light encircled Teddy like a protective bubble, pushing Harry away in the process, warding off anything the four year old deemed unwanted.

Like, say, the godfather who was trying to force him into taking a bath.

Harry was too shocked by the accidental magic to be bothered by the fact his attempt to get Teddy bathed was thwarted once again. At four year's old and he's already creating something like this? It had to take a great deal of magic!

"Teddy," he said excitedly. "Teddy, you're doing your first accidental magic!"

Teddy's reaction, though, was quite the opposite of excitement.

He burst into to tears.

Harry's eyes widened in shock. _Why is he crying? _he wondered. _Shouldn't he be excited? _

"Teddy?"

He didn't hear his godfather's hesitant call of his name. He was too busy staring at the bubble in fright. Why is it there? Did it just hurt his Uncle Harry? Had… had _he_ caused that? "Make it stop!" he wailed.

_Stop? _Harry wondered, staring at the bubble in fascination. _But it's such a milestone for him._

"Unca Harry!" Teddy cried again when his godfather didn't seem to respond. "Make it go 'way!"

Harry snapped out of his trance, remembering that Teddy was scared and he needed to fix it. "It's alright, Teddy," he said soothingly. "This is completely normal."

"Make it stop!" Teddy didn't care if it was normal or not; it hurt his godfather and he didn't like it.

"I—" Harry was at a loss. He hadn't a clue as to how you go about stopping someone else's accidental magic. Was it even possible? "Erm," he said eloquently. What was he supposed to do?

"Unca Harry!" the cry was getting more desperate, and more terror was slipping into his voice. Harry needed to figure something out and _quick._

"Uh—just, calm down, alright?" he suggested. "It's alright, just relax. Take a deep breath."

Teddy did, and it calmed him slightly.

But the bubble wasn't going anywhere.

"Just, uh—think of something else. Like, erm, what we're going to do in the morning." Now he was just throwing out suggestions blindly, but _something_ had to work, didn't it?

Teddy tried. He closed his eyes, and thought hard. _We can go play outside again, and stay out all day, and have a picnic, and no baths! _He thought. When he opened his eyes again, the bubble still engulfed him strong and unmoving.

He opened his mouth and let out a cry. "It's not goin' 'way!"

Harry swore quietly. What got rid of a bloody bubble made by accidental magic? Could it be popped? Harry almost wanted to try, but he sincerely doubted it'd work. After all, if it's there to protect, why would it pop so easil—

A faint _whoosh! _circled throughout the room and as sudden as the bubble came, it disappeared. Teddy, free from the scary thing he created, tore away from his spot near the tub and raced into Harry's legs for comfort. Tears streamed down his face, and once Harry lifted him into his arms, he buried his face into the crook of his godfather's neck.

"Hey," Harry said softly a few minutes later, rocking his godson back and forth in his arms, "what's all this, huh?"

"I-i-it hurt you!" Teddy stammered.

Suddenly, Harry began to understand.

"No, no, no, Teddy bear, it didn't hurt me," he assured. "It just pushed me a bit."

"_I_ hurt you!" he wailed, and any remaining fog in Harry's brain suddenly cleared up.

"No," Harry denied. "You didn't do a thing to me, Teddy bear."

"Y-y-yes huh! I made the b-b-bubble and it p-p-pushed you! It was m'fault!" He burrowed himself further into his godfather, so much Harry was afraid he was going to crawl inside him.

Harry shook his head. "No, squirt, it wasn't your fault. Besides it didn't hurt me. It only shocked me a bit. Accidental magic can do that sometimes. Don't worry about it."

"Bu-bu-bu—"

"Shh," Harry cut him off, rubbing calming circles on his back. "It's alright. I didn't get hurt, and you have nothing to feel bad about."

"Are you sure?" Teddy asked suspiciously, as if Harry would lie to him just to save his feelings.

Which, he might have done in the past, though Teddy didn't know that. What parent—or godparent in his case—didn't?

"Positive," Harry soothed. Teddy looked like he might accept it, but there was still some doubt wavering in his features. Harry sighed, this would call for some desperate measures to mull the whole 'accidental magic' thing over.

"Accidental magic is nothing to be afraid of, Teddy. It's normal."

"Does it hurt people lots like it hurt you?" he asked softly.

Harry sighed. "I don't think so, and it didn't hurt me. If it did, I'd let you know."

"It was scary," Teddy said, changing the subject. "I didn't know wha' was happenin'."

"It's completely normal for young wizards to do it. I did it when I was little too."

"Really?" Teddy asked, his eyes now bright with curiosity. "Did Mummy and Daddy do it, too?"

"Oh, yes," Harry replied. A thought struck him as he watched Teddy practically burst with excitement. He often did that when his parents were mentioned. _Maybe he wouldn't be so afraid of accidental magic if he sees his parents perform it, _the reasonable voice in the back of Harry's head told him.

He loved that voice, he did.

He left the loo, Teddy in his arms, and entered his bedroom. He grabbed the pensieve and the box of memories, fishing around for one labeled with something to do about accidental magic. Coming across one, he muttered, "Perfect", and poured it in.

"In we go," he directed to Teddy, and both of them plunged their faces into the basin.

* * *

><p>They entered a familiar small house, the exact one that was in the last memory they had visited together, Remus' house.<p>

They were in the same place they had been the last time, the living area of the home. Perhaps that was the room they spent the most time in, or so it seemed to Harry.

A still three year old, not-werewolf-yet-Remus was lying on his stomach on the floor, coloring a picture. His father was in an arm chair near him, reading the Daily Prophet. Harry looked around but couldn't see his mother in the room. Faint sounds of cooking ware banging together filled his ears, and sure enough when he looked towards the kitchen Mrs. Lupin was baking away to her heart's content.

"Mummy!" Remus called, crawling up from his position on the floor and running into the kitchen with his piece of paper. "Mummy, look, I drew you a picture." He thrust it into her face and she took it gratefully.

"Remus, this is beautiful," she told him and placed it on the fridge, muttering a sticking charm to keep it there. To Harry it looked like a bunch of lines, but for a three year old it must have been quite the work of art.

"Cookies?" he asked, looking at the kitchen table. Sure enough there were freshly baked chocolate chip cookies lying on the table top. He reached for one, but his mother cried out, "Remus, no!"

He froze, hand in mid-air, lower lip trembling. Harry couldn't blame him; they were chocolate chip and Remus was crazy about chocolate. "Why?"

"They're hot, and it's far too close to dinner now for one. You can have one later."

"But—Mummy," he started, giving her wide, innocent eyes. "Please?"

"So that's where you get it from," Harry muttered to the bundle in his arms, and Teddy gave a short giggle. Harry smiled, happy that his godson was cheering up a bit with the help of the memory.

"I know, hon, but not now. Later," Mrs. Lupin told him. "Why don't you go draw another picture, okay? Dinner will be ready soon." She gestured to the oven where something was being cooked, but Remus' eyes didn't leave the plate of cookies. "Go on now," she shooed gently, steering him out of the kitchen.

Harry and Teddy followed him back into the living room, a dejected look on his young face. He was muttering to himself, so quietly his father couldn't hear from across the room, "Just want cookie. No cookie for Remus."

He continued to talk to himself under his breath for a couple of minutes, repeating "None for Remus" and "Just one, but noooo" a few times. He resumed his position back on the floor, though, and began to draw, still repeating his muttered phrases. He sent a couple of looks towards the table to make sure the cookies weren't just a figure of his imagination, but then went back to his drawing.

Harry squinted at the picture he was drawing, which was just a bunch of circles with polka dots inside them. _Three guesses as to what that is,_ Harry thought wryly. _I guess when Remus wants a cookie, he _really_ wants a cookie._

A moment later, a faint _ding! _filled the silence of the house. Mr. Lupin didn't think any of it, just continued to read the paper, thinking it was just the oven timer. Mrs. Lupin got up to check the oven, but saw there was still time left. Remus, on the other hand, was the only one who noticed the plate of cookies in front of his nose.

"Cookie!" he gasped softly, and quickly snatched one up. He took a hesitant bite out of it, and his face transformed into delight at the taste.

"Aww," Teddy moaned.

"What, squirt?"

"I wan'a cookie!"

Harry chuckled. "Of course you do."

Remus shoved his mouth with the plate full of cookies, and not before long the plate was just crumbs. Mr. Lupin, hearing odd noises from his son, looked over at him curiously. "Are you okay, Remus?"

Remus turned to grin at him, cookie crumbs all around his face. "Yeah!"

"What have you got on your face, kiddo?" he asked, getting out of his chair and crouching by Remus. "Are those crumbs?"

Remus nodded happily. "I was thinkin' 'bout cookies an' they just show up!"

"They just showed up? Out of the blue?" Mr. Lupin asked, eyes widening. Cookies don't just appear… What happened?

"Yeah!"

"Remus, I think you just had your first accidental magic!" Mr. Lupin announced excitedly.

"Wha's that?"

"It means that," Mr. Lupin scooped his son up into his arms and placed a kiss on his forehead, "you're a wizard, kiddo!" Not that he had any doubts, mind, but it was nice to have the assurance.

Remus squealed in delight. "YAY!"

And then the quaint little house faded.

* * *

><p>The two boys landed back on Harry's bed, Teddy still in his godfather's arms. His eyes were bright with delight from both seeing his father's memory and knowing he was indeed a wizard like both his parents had been. "I'm magical, Unca Harry!" He announced excitedly.<p>

Harry chuckled. "Of course, squirt. I never doubted it for a second."

Teddy grinned. "Unca Harry," he started, and placed both his hands on each of his godfather's cheeks. Seriously, he stated, "I want cookies now."

Harry laughed, rolling his eyes. He grabbed his godson's hands and said back equally as seriously, "It's still bath time, you know."

Teddy's eyes widened and he groaned.

Then, like a flash, he was off Harry's lap and out the door, giggling all the way.

Harry sighed.

Round two of the Finding Teddy games had begun.

**A/N: Just so you know, in my world I don't consider the whole metamorphmagus thing accidental magic for Teddy but just as an ability he can do. So, uh, yeah. And I don't know much about Remus' parents as far as if their muggle or what so I inferred :p Hope you liked. Next chapter Teddy's going to grow up some! No more four year old Teddy bear. It won't be that much of a change, though. I think. Ah, who knows. I'll try to get next chapter up as soon as I can!**


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